Natasha Rudy

Art is something I do for fun; it’s my release and one of my hobbies. Though I may not be the best drawer or painter, I appreciate every piece of art that I create because every one is expressive of how I feel, what I want, or just me. When I feel the art expresses me or the emotion I was feeling when I was working on it, I know it’s completed. There is some point when I’m in the middle of a project that I think, “Man, I hate this,” but the more I work on it, the more I like it. In my opinion, each piece of my artwork is like a person I have a relationship with; some pieces I love, and others I could appreciate more. Even if I don’t really like the piece at first, it grows on me as I begin to accept the imperfections that some would call mistakes as quirks that make the artwork unique and something I can be proud of. That pride and the sense of accomplishment that accompany the completion of a project is, to me, one of the best feelings in the world.
I prefer to do abstract artwork, but if I can’t, there is always one aspect of my artwork that is symbolic of something else. I’m not a very open person, so I use the symbols in my artwork to get the things off of my chest that I feel like I can’t tell anyone. For example, there is a recurrent theme of love in my artwork because I don’t feel that I can ever fully tell others how much I love my family and friends. The symbols in my artwork may not be apparent to everyone, but that is purposeful because the symbolism isn’t meant to be analyzed; I use it merely to vent.
I love using acrylic paint, colored pencils, and graphite, so these are the tools that I typically use. Since I feel comfortable using these materials, I generally enjoy working on the projects that require me to use them more than projects that don’t. I never completely plan a project before beginning on it. Generally, I don’t plan what I’ll do with the background until after I’ve finished everything else because what I imagine the project looking like in my head never fully translates to the page. When I have to use color, I don’t really plan which colors I’ll use beforehand. Instead, I just use the colors that seem appropriate at the time. I really enjoy using red, though. There’s something about the color that seems representative of me since it’s warm and versatile.
As I said, my work is symbolic and influenced by my emotions at the time of its creation. I use my experiences to channel emotions and express them in the proper way. My goal is for people to be able to see a good piece of art they can appreciate, but if they don’t, it doesn’t really bother me, seeing as I draw and paint for myself, not everyone else. Currently, I am working with media that I’m comfortable with, and I hope to keep producing artwork and improve my artistic skills.

Biography: I was born in Johnson City, New York, and moved to South Carolina when I was three years old. I have received all twelve years of my art classes and lessons in South Carolina public schools. Since middle school, I have voluntarily signed up for art classes because art is something I love, and I love having the opportunity to further improve my artistic abilities. Drawing is something I can’t get away from; it’s what covers the margins of my notes and what I find as I clean up the endless stacks of paper that cover my room. Even when I’m not taking an art class, I continue to draw and paint because art is not something that I choose to do; it’s something I do because I feel I have to. I believe that I owe my love for art to the endless coloring books that were always at my grandmother’s house and the finger painting days in pre-school. Although I’ve up-graded from crayons, markers, and finger paints to watercolors, acrylic paints, and graphite, I still get the same feeling that everything is okay when I’m drawing or painting. Over the years, I’ve realized that being a good artist doesn’t necessarily mean that everything I create has to be loved by everyone, and that as long as I succeeded in translating my message to paper, I can consider my artwork a success. The art teachers I have had, along with my experiences in life, have nurtured me as an artist and have helped me improve my creativity and expressivity. My appreciation for art has been heightened since I began taking art classes in high school and people began to critique my artwork. Now, I don’t think that anyone has the right to deem artwork bad because only the artist knows what it was meant to be. I’m so grateful that I live in an area where art classes are available and where growing artists can express themselves and meet their full potentials. Art has been a part of my life since I was three, and I can’t wait to see how it will continue to affect my life.